Historical Context Of The Film Goodfellas

Lies! Greed! Guilt! That’s all we get out of the mouth of Henry Hill, (Jay Liotta), a young mobster from Brooklyn, as he shows the intensity and the utter chaos of what being a mobster can do to an innocent life in Martin Scorsese’s 1990s film GoodFellas, as seen through the eyes of a young Irish-Italian boy growing up on the streets of Brooklyn. With the help of many others, such as well-known actors Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and the famous Robert De Niro, the story comes together to create one of the most famous mob movies ever made.
It’s based on a book called Wiseguy, written by Nicholas Pileggi, a New York crime reporter. Using plots from the text, some real historical context, and later, information about the actual characters themselves,

Freezing the frames every so often, the camera angles and shots are in just the right place to give the audience of predominantly young to middle-aged men, and even the older Scorsese fanatics (whom it is perfect for, with just the right touch of guns, drugs, money and maybe some women on the side if time allows), a look into the intense and unimaginable life of Henry Hill. The pace intensifies with each new scene that Scorsese brings to life, which is what separates this from other classics from this genre. The close up shots of card tables, family gatherings, and the anxious and angry faces of mob members allows the mood to transcend the screen. As well as the uses of special effects(which includes explosions, fighting sounds, and the stomach churning stabbing of others). Scorses also makes great use of lighting, especially red lighting, which almost functions as a warning to the audience that something is about to go

Although being part of the mob can be enticing (even to go so far as to make Hill say he would rather be in the mob than the president of the United States), it might not be the best play in the book to get involved. The incident with the boiling frog is an excellent example of what happens to Hill. He comes in with no experience, and at first, he’s incredibly happy because everything is going his way and life is incredibly sweet, but the greed, money, and the want for more, get into the heads of all three buddies (Hill, Conway, and DeVito who sell crack, even though the act of selling it is more like a drug than anything because they can’t stop once they’ve started), and once addicted to the thrill, like anything in life, it's a drug, and they just can’t seem to get enough. With great risk comes problems, but they come slowly, just enough to be noticeable but not enough to make Hill quit. Everything becomes a little less normal as the temperature rises in this boiling pot. Passing off wrongdoings is not always easy; because of this, the small group of gangsters functions in a very particular way. Telling yourself or others that it’s ok, or that things are alright, are tactics used daily to suppress guilt or anxiety. Scorsese shows the adaptability of human nature and the idea that if we all think it’s OK, then it becomes OK.